• By Quintana Stewart
• Posted Friday, March 30, 2012

Forsyth County Board of Health Celebrates 100-Year Milestone!

The Board held their first meeting on April 3, 1912 in Mayor of Winston, O. B. Eaton’s office. W.B. Speas, County School Superintendent was elected as Secretary of the Board. J. A. Vance served as Chairman. Other members included Dr. S.F Phol of Salem and Dr. J. C. Hammock of Walkertown. At a subsequent meeting in May, Dr. John Bynum was hired as County Superintendent of Health with a salary of $70 per month.

In 1912 the duties of the Superintendent of Health included post-mortem examinations for the Corner; examinations for the mentally impaired for commitment, serve as the quarantine officer, provide medical care to the sick inmates of the County Convict Camp, Jail, and County Home and conduct monthly inspections of these same institutions. The major diseases of concern were hook worm and typhoid fever. The Board developed rules about vaccination for all students and teachers in the County School System. They also regulated things such as fumigation of properties, sanitation standards of institutions, and condemnation of dangerous/hazardous properties in the community.

A hundred years later, the Board of health continues to serve as the “policy-making, rule-making, and adjudicatory body for the County Health Department”. The Board of Health works hard to protect the residents of Forsyth of County from emerging public health issues such as childhood lead poisoning, HIV, Influenza, and a host of others. North Carolina General Statutes define the composition of the local Board of Health as an eleven-member board that includes:

• A Physician,
• A Dentist,
• An Optometrist,
• A Veterinarian,
• A Nurse,
• A Pharmacist,
• A County Commissioner,
• An Engineer,
• and three general public representatives.

Current Board Members include: Dr. Linda Petrou- Chair (Public Member), Dr. Kent Doub- Vice Chair (Optometrist), John Davenport (Engineer), Dr. Allen Hudspeth (Public Member), Dr. Calvert Jeffers (Veterinarian), Dr. Charles Massler (Dentist), Dr. Willard McCloud, Jr. (Physician), Jane Mosko (Nurse), J. Phil Seats (Pharmacist), Dr. Ricky Sides (Public Member), and Gloria Whisenhunt (County Commissioner).

The Forsyth County Board of Health meets the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm in the Boardroom of the Health Department located at 799 N. Highland Avenue, Winston Salem, NC. These meetings are open to the public.